1/11/06
A riot erupted Tuesday night as hundreds of ultra Orthodox Jews marched to protest next months’ Jerusalem Pride.
Members of the Haredi sect created massive uproar: blocking roads, setting rubbish bins on fire, and throwing rocks at police officers. Protestors were led by leaders wearing sack cloths, a Biblical sign of bereavement, and carrying placards slamming homosexuality that said "Jerusalem will not be like Sodom and Gomorrah".
Police cited similar disturbances around Israel on Tuesday.
The riot followed the Jerusalem police chief’s significant decision to place the force on an “Emergency Alert”, raising the national alert to its highest level relative to current scenarios.
According to the Jerusalem Post the current police situation in response to the protests resembles that of the 2005 pullout from the Gaza Strip, with all police holidays suspended to ensure maximum manpower on the day of the parade, November 11.
The police have expressed concerns that the anti-gay activists may take refuse in houses along the parade route and throw objects at parade participants. They even fear that they may try to disable the city’s electricity.
Parade organisers, Jerusalem Open House, predict that the number of protesters will far exceed the number of parade participants.
There have also been calls by Muslim leaders for mass Muslim protests in Jerusalem.
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